Beyond The Gates of Hades
by Yumemakura
Summary: Hephaistion wanders into the land of underworld. Will Hades let him go so that he can return to Alexander?


**Prompt: Hidden Talent  
>Title: Beyond The Gates of Hades<strong>

Hephaistion cursed under his breath. It was not supposed to end up like this. It was a simple mission of going to the next village by the camp to get more flour that was getting low in supply. It was not a duty that Hephaistion normally performed; he usually delegated it to his captain, but he had decided to do it himself this time, because one of his captains was sick, and the others were too busy setting up the camp.

They were in the land of Syria on the way to Damascus after conquering Egypt. The village was just a half a day ride over the ridge, and the ridges of the mountains around here were not too high as they were almost at the end part of Mount Hermon. Hephaistion took only three guards and one soldier who would pull the horse with a wagon since they were not going into a dangerous enemy territory.

When they were almost at the top of the ridge, a strong storm attacked them. It came from nowhere; the blue sky with sparkling spring sun changed color into pewter-blue then into dark grey in a few moments. The gentle breeze then was replaced with howling gusts with pouring rains, and the narrow mountain road was now turned into a gushing stream.

"Dismount the horses, and brace yourselves!"

As soon as Hephaistion shouted, he heard screams along with the neighs of the horses. When he looked back, he saw a horrible sight in between the heavy curtain of the rain; both his soldiers and his horses went tumbling down the road they had just climbed up.

A particularly strong gust blew down from the mountaintop. Hephaistion tried to break the impact, and covered his eyes by putting his arm in front. The motion shifted the grip of his other hand around a slippery branch, and he involuntarily let it go. Without an anchor the ground underneath his feet was no longer stable. The muddy water also washed him down the path.

Unlike the others, the water pushed him off the road, and Hephaistion slid down the mountainside that was covered with wet leaves and undergrowth. Hephaistion prayed that he would not crash into a tree or a rock; with this speed, he would break his neck and die or be severely injured if he were lucky. His desperate fingers grabbed a vine to finally stop him.

Hephaistion sat up, and carefully examined himself. Fortunately, it seemed that he had not received any major injuries except a few scrapes, minor cuts, and bruises despite the speed and the distance he had fallen. He looked up at the slope. It was too steep to climb back up especially when the soil was wet and unstable. The only option he had now was to go down. He hoped that he would find another path to get back more easily once the storm had passed.

Hephaistion grabbed a tree to pull himself up. With caution, he went down half sliding and half trotting. He finally reached the bottom where the sharp slope gradually leveled off by a stream. The storm had not shown any signs of weakening. He looked for a shelter hoping to find a small cottage or something left for the hunters or fishermen. Instead, he saw a grotto near a waterfall up the stream on the rocky mountainside.

Hephaistion would have preferred a cottage that was more protective from the elements as the temperature had rapidly dropped, and he was now shivering uncontrollably.

'_It is still better than nothing.'_

He encouraged himself and hurried to the grotto. To his disappointment, the inside of the grotto was filled with water, yet the milky emerald green calm liquid still looked inviting as it radiated heat with white steam. Hephaistion dipped the tips of his fingers into the pool to test the water. As he had expected, the water was warm and smooth. It sounded a good idea to soak his chilled body into it.

Hephaistion took off only his cuirass and eagerly went into the pool. He kept his boots, since the water was too opaque to be able to see the bottom. He could not afford any more injuries by stepping onto a sharp object. He also kept his chiton on, because there seemed no point in taking it off. It was already soaked and wet, and soiled with mud. Besides, he felt an urge to go into the warm water right away as if something was calling for him.

Once he was in the pool, Hephaistion slowly moved toward the back of the grotto to avoid the rain. The water stayed at his waist level. The wind had died down now, but the steady rain was still falling down from the dark sky. Hephaistion stretched his limbs and closed his eyes. The slick thick water enveloped his body with persistence. It felt so good.

All of a sudden, when Hephaistion was in the height of relaxation, a strong force pulled him down under the water. Hephaistion tried to reach out to grip something in instinct, but his fingers only grabbed empty air. His wide-open eyes saw nothing but milky greens. When he thought that he could not hold his breath any longer, the force disappeared and he was pushed up to the surface.

The sight that appeared in front of him had totally changed; an arched tunnel of a corridor stretched out instead of the rock wall of a dead end. Dim lights from nowhere illuminated the bottom of the pillars that lined up neatly in rows reflecting the images on the slick floor. The upper part glowed in crimson red, and the whole tunnel was filled with a thick aroma.

As if being lured by the paralyzing perfume, Hephaistion climbed up the steps that led him to the corridor. His footsteps echoed in the silence. At the end of the corridor, a heavy wooden door with an intricate relief opened by itself when Hephaistion stood in front of it. Hephaistion gasped seeing a mighty figure who was sitting on a throne looking straight at him.

The colors of his eyes changed each time when the flame in the braziers flickered as if to reflect the scattered gems on the wall behind him.

"I have been waiting for you, Hephaistion."

A deep voice vibrated the air, and Hephaistion gathered all his courage to question.

"How do you know my name?"

"I am a god, Hades. I know who you are."

Hephaistion felt a shiver of terror run through his body, but he knew that he should not show any weakness.

"Am I dead? I do not remember dying though."

"No, you are not. If you are dead, you become a soul without a body. What I want from you is your beautiful body, not the soul."

"What makes you think that I will just give up my body to you?"

Hades faltered. He had never expected this kind of counter attack from a mortal.

_Isn't it obvious? I am a god, and not just a god, but Hades whom all mortals are afraid of. Doesn't this beautiful creature know that I could take whatever I want just like that if I chose to?_

"I am Hades. I can simply force you?"

"I know, but wouldn't you say that it is more fun to have it with my consent? If I give you what you want willingly, then will you bargain with me?"

"I will see to it after I have had you."

"No, I wish to have a deal before bedding with you."

"Well, what if you were not good enough in bed, and I was not satisfied. I still have to keep my word. Because a god will never lie."

"I'll prove it to you. If you are a god as you say, then can you make anything appear from thin air?"

_I __cannot__ believe__ this.__ Is__ this__ man__ serious?_ Hades recomposed himself.

"You don't believe me? What do you want? Gold? Or a jewel? "

"No, how about an aulos?"

"An aulos? You mean the musical instrument?"

"Yes, is it too much to ask?"

"I told you that I am Hades. Nothing is impossible for me."

With this, Hades managed to pull a double flute from thin air. He showed it to Hephaistion while the white smoke still lingered around it. Hephaistion took it in his hand.

He closed his eyes, and then wrapped his lips around the double reeds. His delicate fingers ran over the length of the flute up and down. The sound that came out of the instrument was enticing. It bounced off the walls of the underworld to envelope Hades wholly. His gaze followed the elegant movement of Hephaistion's fingers, and then up to the sensual lips.

Each time Hephaistion took a breath, his lips relaxed and tightened around the blowhole, while his fingers pushed and released the openings of the flute. The sight was too erotic and arousing. The heart of the lord of the underworld was beating so fast that it made it difficult for him to breathe.

"Now are you ready to bargain with me?"

Hephaistion flashed a brilliant smile to the god that even merciless Hades could not resist.

"I see what you can do. Now let me hear what is your condition for bedding with me."

"Promise to release me after one night."

"If I do not?"

"Then I will kill myself so that you can never have my body."

"All right, all right. I will make a deal with you. I will release you after one night! But I too have a condition. I am a god. I cannot simply accept a mortal's proposal, can I? It will harm my reputation if it ever came to surface that Hades was manipulated by a mere mortal."

"What is your condition, then?"

"Can I tell you after the night?"

"No. I too like to know what I am getting into before agreeing."

Hephaistion grinned, and Hades mirrored his grin.

"The condition is this. You will come back to the underworld when your unsatisfied sexual tension grows too much."

"How do you know and how do I come back?"

"Here, wear this."

With this, Hades slipped a ring on Hephaistion's right ring finger.

"When you desire sex with me, the color of the stone changes from almost black dark red to crimson red, and then I will come get you. You will not miss my gold chariot with four black horses."

"How do I know that you are so good in bed that I would wish to come back to see you even to the underworld?

Hades crushed his mouth over Hephaistion's. The kiss was so deep and passionate that it made Hephaistion lose all the senses but the feeling of painfully growing desire. He felt his body floating. Next time he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a huge bed with Hades' pale face hovering over him.

The sex was intense. Hephaistion played with Hades' flute, and Hades played with Hephaistion's whole body awakening the sensation on every single part of his body. They both moaned and withered under each other's touch. When Hephaistion lay with Alexander, it was love. Not only their bodies became one, but also their souls. But lying with Hades was the pure joy of flesh. It made Hephaistion forget everything but enjoying the sensation.

**oooOooo**

Hephaistion opened his eyes seeing a bright light through his closed lids. He was met with Alexander's golden face instead of Hades' pale one.

"Good, you are finally awake. The physician assured me that you were all right, but I was still worried. You have been sleeping for two days since we found you lying by the pool."

Hephaistion suddenly remembered what had happened before he went to the grotto.

"What happened to my men? Are they all right?" Hephaistion sprung up to sit on the bed.

"Yes, don't worry. They are all fine and alive. As a matter of fact, they were the ones who told me where you might have been washed away."

"Good."

Hephaistion covered his face with his hands in relief.

"Where did you get that ring? I have never seen it."

'_So it was not a dream.'_

Looking down at the ring that Hades gifted him, Hephaistion told Alexander what he thought was a dream. As he retold the story, Hephaistion felt that it kindled the desire that had still not totally died down in him.

"It's not possible. I cannot believe it!"

"Alexander, you are not the only one who can make the impossible possible. I will prove it to you."

With this, Hephaistion pulled Alexander back into the bed, and started to suck his lips that instantly ignited the flame of desire inside of Alexander. After a long passionate lovemaking, Alexander and Hephaistion lay together on the bed side by side catching their breaths.

"It was amazing!"

"Right? Do you still believe that I was just dreaming? Do you think I could master all those techniques in the world of hallucination?"

"I guess not. I knew that you could be very persuasive, but I did not expect that you were so good that you could make even Hades to agree with you. Now I know whom to send whenever I need assistance in diplomacy. And I vow to your Hades' ring that I would never let you feel unsatisfied, so that Hades would never come get you. I do not wish you to go back there. It sounds too risky."

"Well Alexander, think of it this way. Maybe you would make me feel unsatisfied once in a while, so that Hades would come get me. And after the night with Hades, we could have an amazing sex. Consider it as a small fee to pay for the most valuable lessons."

"Oh, Hephaistion, if you put it that way, I cannot help but to agree. You are too good."

"I know."

Hephaistion smiled mischievously. The last thought that flashed into his mind before falling into a peaceful sleep was that it would not be so bad to visit Hades once in a while. The sex with the lord of the underworld was incredible. Besides the new technique he could learn would sure spice up the lovemaking between him and Alexander.

The End

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The image of the Gates of Hades in this story came from Basilica Cistern in Istanbul, and Caesarea Philippi inspired the grotto.**


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